Salone del Mobile 2016's quirkiest character yet

If you're in Milan next week for Salone del Mobile, look out for this quirky coat hanger by Gufram drenched in Paul Smith's psychedelia

There are lots of ways to dress up a cactus, but nobody does it better than Sir Paul Smith. For Salone del Mobile Milano 2016, the British designer didn't just put his touch on any other cactus, but one that's both a functional and conversational piece: Gufram's coat hanger. Designed by Italians Guido Drocco and Franco Mello in 1972, the original bright green Gufram cactus is an icon that's been given fresh coats of paint time and again. For example, to show its solidarity for freedom in the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015, it produced three editions of red, white and blue. For its partnership with Smith, the designer has given it the appropriate '70s-themed throwback with a hallucinogenic-influenced aesthetic.

"It's a joy to work with Gufram," Smith explains. "One of my favourite exhibitions of all time was 'Italy: The New Domestic Landscape' in 1972 in New York's Museum of Modern Art. Included in the many wonderful things on display were products from Gufram. Since then my affection for the products has never waned over the years and so I was delighted to have been asked to collaborate on their famous Cactus".This collaboration doesn't just include the coat hanger. You can see the cactus popping up in Paul Smith's menswear products — ties, socks, shirts and pocket squares — when it launches in stores come May. In the meantime, take a look at other colours in the series below.

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The Gufram Psychedelic Cactus is available in a limited edition of just 169. For more information on the Gufram Psychedelic Cactus, click here. You can visit it in Milan from 12 to 17 April via Alessandro Manzoni 30. Shop the cactus collection in store at Paul Smith boutiques located at Mandarin Gallery and Hilton Singapore from May 2016.